The Connecticut State Department of Education, in collaboration with the State Education Resource Center (SERC), is sponsoring a VIRTUAL training series featuring structured literacy approaches during the 2021-22 school year. These research-based approaches are designed to work with students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)/Dyslexia and other decoding challenges. 

For additional information related to dates and times for these sessions, and registration information, please see the attached flyers:

*            CSDE-SERC 2021-22 Structured Literacy Program Training Series Calendar At-A-Glance (October 2021 to January 2022) <https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Special-Education/CSDE-SERC-2021-22-Structured-Literacy-Program-Training-Series_10_12_21.pdf>

*            CSDE-SERC 2021-22 Structured Literacy Program Training Series Calendar At-A-Glance (February 2022 to June 2022) <https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Special-Education/CSDE-SERC-2021-22-Structured-Literacy-Program-Training-Series_February-2022-through-June-2022_121021.pdf>

To register for these and other CSDE/SERC events, please go to the SERC Events webpage <https://ctserc.org/events> . If you have questions regarding registration, please contact: Lauren Johns, SERC Project Specialist, by phone at 860-632-1485, ext. 256, or by email at johns@ctserc.org <mailto:johns@ctserc.org> . If you have questions regarding content, please contact: Claire Conroy, SERC Consultant, by phone at 860-632-1485, ext. 326, or by email at conroy@ctserc.org <mailto:conroy@ctserc.org> .

SAVE THE DATE AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION!

IDEA Part B: 101 Statewide Training on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B: 101 for New Special Education Directors, New IDEA Part B Grant Managers and/or New Fiscal Officers

The two-hour virtual webinar training on 1/18/2022 from 9:00-11:30am, (register here https://serc.info/idea0118) will review the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B grant and critical features such as Maintenance of Effort (MOE), Excess Cost, and the IDEA Part B Section 611/619 LEA subgrantee application.

Tom Boudreau, IDEA Fiscal Manager of the Bureau of Special Education will deliver an overview of the IDEA Part B Grant and then discuss hands on tools for the LEA such as the electronic grant management system (eGMS) and the MOE Calculator addressing both the eligibility and compliance standards.

Programmatic and fiscal personnel from the district, who are new or want a refresher on the topics – are encouraged to attend for a robust conversation with specific set aside time for any questions.

If further information is needed, please access the SERC website at www.ctserc.org. or register at https://serc.info/idea0118.

Hope to see you there!!

EdSight Public is Getting an Upgrade!

The CSDE is planning a major upgrade to our public data portal, EdSight.

As part of the process, we are circulating a short user feedback surveyto various stakeholders. If you would liketo offer your input, please complete the survey by Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The EdSight Team

The State Department of Education is currently seeking qualified applicants to serve as contracted Impartial Mediators for special education mediations.
Application Deadline: December 17, 2021

Please see 2021 RFPs (ct.gov) for application information. 

The CT State Department of Education has partnered with the UCONN Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities to offer the CT Aspiring Leaders Academy in Special Education. This program is offered at NO COST to the participants. For more details, including application information and how to participate in an informational session on Wednesday, December 15th at 4:30pm, visit

C.E.S., through partnership with the Connecticut State Department of Education and the RESC Alliance  is pleased to announce dates for upcoming early childhood ADOS-2 Training opportunities.

Please note, all training will be conducted remotely online (via zoom).  

The dates for the training are as follows:

Comprehensive ADOS-2 Training (Introductory Training) – Hybrid Program with both Live sessions (via zoom) and asynchronous training to be completed in between sessions.  Attendance at all 5 live sessions is required, there are no make-ups for missed sessions.

1.     January 25 2022 – 12-3:30 pm

2.     February 10, 2022 – 12-3:30 pm

3.     March 3, 2022 – 9am-12:30 pm

4.     March 17, 2022 – 9am-12:30 pm

5.     March 31, 2022 –  9am-12:30 pm

Please click here to access registration for the Comprehensive ADOS-2 Training

Refresher Training Sessions – For current users of the ADOS-2  who have completed Comprehensive Trainers for the purpose of re-calibrating coding decisions

1.     April 5, 2022  (Module 1) – 12-3:30 pm

2.     April 26 (Module 2) – 12-3:30 pm

3.     May 3 (Module 3) – 12-3:30 pm

Please click here to review full details of training programs prior to registering

Please click here to access registration for the Refresher Training Sessions. 

Registration will close 48 hours prior to the start of training.  Space is limited in all sessions.

Please refer all questions prior to registering to Christine Peck, peckc@cestrumbull.org .

For additional information please see

The University of CT Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, the CT Office of Early Childhood, and the CT State Department of Education have partnered to offer a Leadership Academy in Early Childhood Intervention. For details and application information please see

The Connecticut State Department of Education, in partnership with the RESC Alliance, is offering this opportunity for professional learning for early childhood special education professionals in Connecticut on December 3, 2021, from 12:00 – 3:00 pm.

For details and registration information, please visit:

This is a three (3) day, team-based training.  There is no cost to register.  Please visit www.ctserc.org/events to register.  For content questions, please contact Nikki Hendry, SERC, (860) 632-1485 ext. 255 or hendry@ctserc.org.  For registration questions, please contact Emma Velasquez, SERC, (860) 632-1485, ext. 218 or velasquez@ctserc.org.

Audience: PreK-Grade 12: School-based teams that must include a Principal/Administrators, General and Special education Teachers, and Student Support Services Professionals, and may include Paraeducators and family members

• Session B Dates: November 17, 18, and November 30           

Location: Hilton Garden Inn Wallingford/Meriden, Wallingford

• Session C Dates: December 1, 2, and December 15                

Location: Saybrook Point Inn, Old Saybrook 

Step by Step for inclusive schools is a systems-wide model for improving the quality and amount of time students spend in inclusive settings.  Implemented across ten states and adopted on a statewide basis in Florida and Connecticut, Step by Step training results in meaningful change at the district, school, and classroom levels that benefits all students and the school community.

This team training in Step by Step emphasizes the importance of individualized student-centered decisions for assigning supports and services.  In the training, each participating school will create an action plan and identify criteria for determining successful implementation of effective practices.  This action plan addresses six critical themes: 1) Instructional Settings; 2) Collaboration and Shared Responsibility for Supporting Students; 3) Instructional Excellence for Diverse Learners; 4) In-Class Support Models and Strategies; 5) Peer and Family Relationships; and 6) Effective Use of Personnel.

As a result of this training, participating teams will learn: a clear definition of inclusive education; instructional strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners in the general education classroom; three distinct staffing models to assure that students and teachers receive the support they need; a process for scheduling that makes the best use of resources, and many more practical strategies; five strategies to improve the quality and impact of paraeducator services; and an effective peer assistance and peer tutoring program.  

The Connecticut State Department of Education, in partnership with the RESC Alliance, the Connecticut Association of Schools, and the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood presents an Administrator Responsive Support Session on November 4, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

For details and registration information, please see